Angela Rydell, MFA, is a poet, novelist, short fiction writer, writing instructor, and critique coach. Her fiction haswon the Portland Review’s inaugural Flash Fiction Friday contest, was a finalist in the American Short(er) Fiction Prize and the Gray Sparrow Flash Fiction Contest, and received honorable mention in the New Millennium Writings Awards Flash Fiction Contest. She is a recipient of Poets & Writers’ Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award and a Pushcart Prize nominee.

Aparna Reddi of San Fransicso, CA, wrote “Circadian Rhythms” while taking the online class “Fiction in a Flash,” and her story was accepted for publication even before she finished her final unit. The literary journal Foliate Oak snapped it up, and will include it in their February issue. Congratulations, Aparna!

Here’s what she has to say about her experience in “Fiction in a Flash,” taught by Angela Rydell: “Angela's class was instrumental in helping me have my first flash piece accepted for publication in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine. Everything in the class is well thought out and executed—the content, the examples, and the feedback Angela provides on the stories we write. She has an amazing ability to read something and know exactly what feedback you need from both a story and editing perspective. I highly recommend taking one of Angela's classes.”

Fiction in a Flash: Art of the Very Short Story

Write complete stories of under 1,000 words. Option 2 writers submit two stories for each unit instead of one and also receive instructor critique. Start with the six-word story and increase word count each unit. Flash techniques include focused scenes, plot essentials, credible characters, tight writing, and smart surprise not just at the beginning or final twist but everywhere. Take away publication tips for today's flash markets and receive individual feedback with each unit.

Flash fiction is hot. It’s popular online, in print, and on public radio. It sparks new writing contests year after year. Readers of the very short story are hungry for surprising twists and powerful truths. This online course takes an in-depth look at strategies and tips to help you say more with less without robbing the reader of a good story well told.

Discover how to plot in miniature, hook a reader from the start, write tight, compress with poetic language, craft twist endings that don’t feel trite, and more. Try your hand at over a dozen exercises and experience the instant gratification of drafting a story in a single sitting.
Depending on which option you choose, you'll submit up to two stories per unit, each receiving a professional critique that explains what you’ve mastered and where you can improve.

Flash fiction isn’t just fast fiction

Writing the very short story deepens your understanding of how a complete story works. Its brevity lets you solve the story problem—everything from beginning, middle, and end—in short bursts multiple times. Pulitzer Prize Finalist Lee Martin says, “Write a sudden story and you ‘suddenly’… feel the way a story moves: a bobsled frantically shoved away from the starting gate, riders hopping aboard and ducking their heads as the sled gathers speed, tips and angles as it slings through a turn.”

Who this course is for

All writers who want practice writing tight

Writers inspired by exercises that spark a story in a sitting

Anyone preparing a story for today’s growing flash markets — whether literary journals, popular magazines, public radio, or writing contests

All writers seeking to cut to the heart of what makes a story matter

Beginning or intermediate writers who want practice crafting a complete story arc in short bursts

Advanced writers energized by experimenting with compression

Poets pushing the boundaries of the prose poem into fiction

Writers looking to hone dozens of essential craft skills

All writers who yearn to finish what they start

Course content

Units and level options

Unit 1. The essence of plot: shaping the very short storyLevels 1 & 2: write 2 stories of 6-100 words

Unit 2. The economy of surprise: saying more with lessLevel 1: write 1 story of up to 300 words; Level 2: write 2

Unit 3. The role of character: simplifying without flatteningLevel 1: write 1 story of up to 600 words; Level 2: write 2

Unit 4. The innovation of constraint: crossing boundariesLevel 1: write 1 story of up to 750 words; Level 2: write 1 story of up to 1000 words or 2 stories of up to 600 words

Plus!

In-depth analysis of successful flash stories by dozens of established writers

Discussion of elements essential to all good stories, including character development, dialogue, point-of-view, scene building, showing rather than telling, and more

Framing devices (like a single scene or central image) to help focus your ideas

Inspiring quotes from writers who’ve mastered the form

Advice from flash editors seeking new work

Helpful links that expand on tricks of the trade

Revision techniques and checklists to keep key concepts in mind

Tips on how to submit your work & publish in today’s flash markets

Bonus resources: You’ll have access to an extensive appendix featuring model stories and direct links to flash markets looking for new work, plus lists of excellent web pages and revitalizing prompts that will keep you writing long after you’ve finished the course

How the course works

You can start this course anytime, and there are no required hours to log on. It’s all done with one-on-one correspondence with the instructor using email. You can read and print course materials in the course website, which you can access at your leisure with a password that we provide. We have writers from around the world participating in our workshops. A lot of great writing gets accomplished via email. Because of the one-on-one nature of this online course, you’ll find it an excellent coaching/mentoring situation that will keep you going. And if you want to just work on your own—hey, that’s fine too. Of course you can do the suggested exercises on your own without the feedback if you’d rather do that. We’re also here throughout the year if you have questions.

Review the current technical requirements for students in Learn@UW online courses.

Contact: For more information about Fiction in a Flash: Art of the Very Short Story, contact Laura Kahl at laura.kahl@wisc.edu or call 608-262-3982.